Buying furniture means spending lots of money and making lots of decisions. Style? Fabric? Pattern? It’s enough to make you want to keep your old stuff. Which might not be such a bad idea. A skilled upholsterer can make old pieces look new again.

A good piece of furniture deserves a second chance. But if you’re thinking of having a furniture piece reupholstered, first take a dispassionate look and decide whether it will last long enough to justify the cost of reupholstering.

Most of us have made unwise furniture purchases that a bit of planning would have prevented. Before shopping, evaluate your budget, how you’ll use the furniture, how it fits in with your other furniture and tastes, and other considerations.

When it comes to decking out your windows, you’ll find so many choices, optional features, and price ranges that it’s easy to get blindsided by the process. Here’s our advice on how to buy the right stuff.

Plantation shutters. Roman shades. Curtains. There are so many ways to cover your windows that it’s tempting to just tape newspaper over the panes and be done with it. Here’s a primer on the best options to block the light, keep prying eyes at bay, or just dress up the joint.

For many types and brands of window treatments, it really pays to shop around. We report here costs quoted to Checkbook’s undercover shoppers when they sought prices for several types of window treatments at a sampling of local stores and online outlets.